Support.



NITED sTATns PATENT OFFICE.v

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dc. 12, 1905.

Application filed September 24, 1904.. Serial No. 225,777.

-To au whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, MILAN ANsELFDIoKINsoN, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of West Swanzey, in the county of Cheshire and State of New Hampshire, have invented a new and Improved Support, of which the following is afull, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to supporting devices, and is particularly adapted for use in hanging hammocks. It has for its principal objects the provision of a simple and secure support.

With these ends in view the invention consists of the various features and combinations hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to behad to theaccompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of one embodiment of my invention v'shown as applied to the supporting of a hammock and with parts broken away. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of a portion of one of the supports. Fig. 3 is a perspective View of the member. to which the struts are connected. Fig. 4 is a similar view of the member to which the rctainingbars are attached. Fig. 5 is a sectional detail illustrating the attachment of the hook to the post. Fig. 6 shows a side view of the device in its folded relation. Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the socket, parts being broken away and in section; and Fig. 8 shows in top plan another form of my invention.

1() designates a socket which is preferably provided with an engaging projection in the form of a coarse thread 11, which adapts it to be screwed into the ground, oering considerable resistance to displacement. This socket is more `or less hollow, and into an opening in its upper extremity may extend a post or upright 12 of any desired height. The post may be secured in place by a latch 13, which is shown as secured to it at 13 and having an angular end portion for engaging a shoulder 14. near the upper end of the socket. This latch may be provided with anger-piece 14 to enable it to be readily operated. If necessary, additional securing means may be supplied by a bolt 15, which passes through alined openings in the top of the socket and in the post, said bolt preferably screwing into one of the socket-openings and having at its opposite end a head by which it may be turned.

To resist the withdrawal of the socket from the ground, further engaging projections may be provided, they being here shown as in the form of sharpened arms 16, which operate through opposite vertically-extendedbpenings 17 through the socket. At their inner ends they are pivoted to the arms of an internally-threaded yoke 18, which is engaged by a screw 19, journaled in the solid end of the socket and in a plate 20, extending across its top. A portion 21 of this screw is shown as projecting through the plate where it is slotted or squared to receive a tool for turning it. If this portion of the device is to be used,`the socket is first turned into the ground in the ordinary manner, and then before inserting the post the screw is rotated to project the arms until they assume a substantially horizontal position, as is indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 7, when they extend for some distance at each side of the socket and effectually resist its withdrawal.

Near the top of the post are attached one or more struts 22, of which there are three shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, these being separated by angles of substantially ninety degrees, while in Fig. 8 is illustrated another arrangement, in which there are two of the struts. Each of these members is preferably pivoted upon the post conveniently between opposite pairs of lugs 23, which may be formed integrally with a casting 24, having an opening 24.a to receive the post. In cach of the pairs of lugs are alined openings 25, extending longitudinally of the post and serving to receive pins or projections 26 from the upper ends of the struts, the play of the pins along the slots enabling the device to adjust itself to irregular ground. The pins may be clamped in the proper position in the slots by means of thumb-nuts 26, operating upon their threaded ends. Each strut extends dow nwardly and outwardly from the post at a suitable angle, at which it may be maintained by a bar or retaining member 29, pivoted upon the lower end of the strut by a hinge 30. The inner end of each retaining member is preferably secured to the post near the socket by a pin 31, passing through opposite openings in lugs 32, which are shown as formed integrally with a collar 33, conforming in shape tothe post. Y

In the present instance hooks or supporting devices 34 are attached near the top of the post by means of a cap 35, fitting over its top.

In using my improved supportif it is desired to hang a hammock a pair of the sockets are first turned into the ground until their upper extremities are substantially on a level With IOO IIO

the surface. Then, if necessary, the engaging arms may be projected, and this having been done the posts are put in place and locked by their latches or bolts. The struts are then extended and their retaining-bars attached to the posts, the movement of the former in the slots 25 adapting them to irregularities of the surface. The hammock may now be hung upon the hooks, these, of course, being on the side from which the struts extend, these members offering the necessary resistance to lateral displacement. posts, this may be readily done without disturbing the sockets, their relation with respect to the surface of the ground permitting such operations as the mowing of grass upon a lawn on which they may be set to be accomplished withouttheir removal. The posts when not in use may be folded into the compact form illustrated in Fig. 6, the retainingbars being turned up against the struts and these latter brought into parallelism with the posts.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent* 1. A support, comprising an upright having a portion for extending into the ground and provided with spaced and slotted lugs at its upper end, a retaining member pivotally connected with the lower end of the upright and adapted to lie on the ground, a strut hinged to the retaining member and having at its upper end pins projecting into the slots of the lugs, and means for clamping the pin in said slots. 1

2. A support, comprising an upright, a cap provided with a socket to receive the upper end of the upright and with spaced and slotted lugs, a retaining member pivotally connected with the upright and adapted to lie on the ground, and a strut hinged to the retaining member and provided with pins projecting into the slots of the lugs, the pins being threaded and provided with nuts.

3. A support, comprising an upright, a plurality of retaining members independently pivoted to the lower end of the upright and adapted to lie on the ground, a plurality of struts each having an adjustable pivotal connection with the upright, the lower end of the struts being hinged to the retaining members, and a supporting device on the upper end of the upright.

4. A support comprising a hollow socket provided with lateral openings, a threaded spindle rotatable within the socket, a yoke operating upon the spindle, arms pivoted upon If one wishes to remove the the yoke and extending through the openings', and a post coacting with the socket.

5. A support comprising a socket, a coacting post, a latch mounted upon one of these members and movable into engagement with the other, a retaining member extending from the upright adjacent to the latch, and a strut coacting with the upright and retaining member.

6. The combination with a post, of a pair of lugs projecting from said post and having opposite longitudinal slots, and a strut provided with projections movable in the slots and extending downwardly therefrom.

7. The combination with a post, of a pair of lugs projecting from said post and having opposite longitudinal slots, a strut provided with projections movable in the slots, and nuts threaded upon the strut projections.

8. A support, comprising a socket adapted to be secured into the ground, an upright detachably secured in the socket, a plurality of retaining members pivotally connected with the upright, and a strut hinged to each retaining member and having its upper end pivotally and slidably connected with the upright, and a supporting device on the upper end of the upright.

9. In a support, the combination with an upright, of a sleeve fitting upon the upper end of the upright and provided with pairs of spaced and slotted lugs, retaining members connected with the lower end of the upright, and struts hinged to the retaining members and each having its upper end projecting between a pair of lugs of the sleeve, and bolts passing through the struts and the slots of the lugs or' said sleeve. l0. In a support, the combination with an upright, of a sleeve on each end of the upright and provided with pairs of spaced lugs, the lugs of the sleeve on the upper end of the upright being longitudinally slotted, retaining members pivoted between the lugs of the sleeve on the lower end of the upright, and struts hinged to the retaining members and having their upper end pivoted upon bolts passing through the slots of the lugs of the sleeve on the upper end of the upright.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

MILAN ANSEL DICKINSON.

Witnesses:

EDWARD H. SNOW, EDGAR C. EMERY.

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